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06/04/07 St. Petersburg Makes Waves as an Environmentally Aware City
On May 10, 2007, St. Petersburg became the first – and only- designated “Green City” within the state of Florida by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC).
St. Petersburg’s many environmental
initiatives that earned its top ranking in FGBC’s points system. Some of
our community’s initiatives on the list included: bio-diesel fuel and
hybrid fleet vehicles, one of the country’s largest reclaimed water systems,
successful recycling and yard waste programs, preservation of
environmentally sensitive land and habitat restorations, our extensive
parks system and 50+ mile bicycle trails, and environmental and water
conservation education awareness programs.
Ken Shapiro, a St.
Petersburg resident and board member of FGBC, presented Mayor Baker with
the award honor at May’s Council Member meeting and stated: “St.
Petersburg has emerged as a leader in the state in developing sound
programs to ensure the sustainability of its community in the near and long-term
future. It’s an important accomplishment considering St. Petersburg resides
in the most densely populated county in the state. The strides the city and
residents continue to make are admirable and a great example for other
cities in the state to follow.”
Prior to accepting the
designated award honor, Mayor Rick Baker was asked by former Governor Jeb
Bush to chair the state’s Century Commission. The Commission is responsible
for outlining measures to be taken by the state towards creating a
sustainable, Florida, environment for the next 50 years.
Congratulations to our
great community and Mayor Rick Baker for continually striving for awareness,
respect, and investment in our environmental landscape. The “Green City” honor brings valuable opportunities to continue to think globally and act
locally.
Below, we are
pleased to provide some additional environmental happenings:
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SPEAK! St. Pete kicks off at the Mahaffey
Theater on June 5th through June 8th with topics
encompassing World Environment Day and World Ocean Day. The event is
presented by the newly formed St. Petersburg Environmental Research Center along with the International Ocean Institute, headquartered in the Bayboro
Harbor Marine District, and the United Nations Council. The new Center
seeks to find scientific and technological contributions to many of the
Earth’s most pressing challenges. Each topic program will consist of
accessible and entertaining events that stimulate public dialogue and
raise awareness through critically acclaimed films, nationally recognized
lecturers, stimulating panel discussions, cultural performances AND is
offering live interactive multimedia broadcasts to view the event
remotely.
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To register for the
event or to learn more, visit SPEAK! St. Pete
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Since the launching
of “Miss Mia”, an environmental oceanic cleansing vessel, by the Green
Armada Foundation Inc., news crews from around the country have been
ringing the phones off the hook at City Hall as well as at the Green
Armada Foundation. NBC Nightly News, CBS, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and
Readers Digest have all visited during the month of May to feature the
Green Armanda Foundation story, its environmental services, and the Miss
Mia oceanic vessel. Mayor Baker and the City of St. Petersburg community
will be featured predominately in each news story which will air across
the country and in a few international televised segments.
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Mark Maksimowicz of
Green Armada Foundation, Inc., is very pleased to call St. Petersburg his
firm’s home port and that we share the same vision – waterways free of
debris! He is looking forward to establishing the firm’s national
headquarters along Bayboro Harbor’s Marine District in the coming months.
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The Green Armada
Foundation and 500+ local residents are hosting a “Clean Clam Bayou”
event on June 16th starting at 7:30am. Visit the Green Armada
Foundation to register as an event volunteer or to learn more about
its environmental service programs.
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So as you can gauge, St. Petersburg is making waves as a premier eco-aware community and an example for other
cities to follow.
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